Several years ago, I got a call from Comcast offering me a deal. They’d bump me to a faster speed on my standalone Internet service if I would agree to bundle it with a very basic cable TV package. I wouldn’t even have to use that package – I was getting TV service from AT&T’s U-verse at the time – I’d just have to be paying for it.

I’d still pay just a few dollars more – about $90 a month – but I’d have more than double the connection speed. And it was not a promotional rate that would go up in six or 12 months. After mulling it over for about 5 seconds, I agreed.

This week, I finally did something about it as part of an overall look at what we’re paying for services in our household. And if you’ve not done a similar audit of your communications costs, it might be worth your time.

My wife and I decided we could save money by finally dropping our AT&T landline, which runs about $50 a month. We still need a house phone for a variety of reasons, but it doesn’t have to be a traditional one. We switched our alarm monitoring to use a cellular phone connection – slightly more expensive, but more secure – and thus a landline was no longer a must.

That meant we could check into bundling phone service with Internet, and possibly getting a significant reduction in our bill. Comcast didn’t make it easy, but we did it. Here’s how it went down:

• On Monday evening, I called the Comcast support number and laid out my scenario. I told the tech that I wanted to drop the unused cable bundle, add voice instead and end up with a lower bill, without reducing my Internet speed. He told me there was a $69-a-month package available, and it was not a promotional rate that would increase later. (I had noticed this package before on the Comcast site, though I couldn’t find it Monday evening.) There was just one problem, though. Because I was dropping the TV package, I’d have to talk to Comcast’s “loyalty department” – he couldn’t make these changes himself. Because I was calling after 7 p.m., I’d have to get in touch with them the next day. Fine.

• On Tuesday afternoon, I called Comcast’s main sales number, walked through the steps with the representative, who then transferred me to the loyalty department – which dropped me into a busy signal. Called back, got transferred again, and this time enjoyed some classical hold music for an annoying period of time. Finally, one of the loyalty department reps answered the phone.

• Once again, I described what I wanted and said I’d been told about the $69 package on Monday night. However, she couldn’t find it in her system, just as I couldn’t find it on the Comcast site. However, she did offer a $59.99 phone/Internet bundle. That price would be good for one year, increasing to $79.99 in the second. I figured I could call and cancel or negotiate when the price increases, so I accepted. Interestingly, I also could not find this particular bundle on the Comcast website. The closest thing to it isa deal that combines a 25-Mbps connection with phone service for $39.99.

• For a final step, I was transferred to a third-party, automated service required for transferring my home phone number between providers. I was asked a series of questions and prompted to respond by voice. The switchover from AT&T landline to Comcast’s Voice over IP service takes place next week.

I’ve asked a Comcast spokesperson for an explanation as to why I was offered a package by one of the company’s reps that another couldn’t duplicate. And I’ve asked about why some bundles are available by phone but aren’t listed on Comcast’s website. I have not yet gotten a response, but I’ll update this blog post when I do.

In the end, we’ll be saving about $90 a month, and I cringe when I think about how much money I probably threw away because I didn’t take action sooner. Learn from my mistake – if you haven’t audited your communications costs and negotiated new rates with your provider in a while, you should do so. By reconfiguring your bundles, you could be saving a bundle.

Next year, when our family’s AT&T cell phone contracts expire, we’ll take a look at those communications costs as well.

Update 6:18 p.m. 12.20.2013: I finally heard back from a Comcast spokesperson in response to my questions. While I did get responses, you can’t accurately call them answers.

See if you agree:

Why did the first Comcast rep offer me one package that the original person couldn’t? Of course, he couldn’t actually execute the change because of this loyalty dept. requirement.

Our commitment is to provide a consistently positive experience during every step in the relationships with our customers. There are different customer service professionals that have specific tools, innovative new technologies and systems they need to fix different issues, answer different questions and give customers what they need.

The $59.99, no-contract package I was offered by phone is not shown on the website, either. The only phone/Net-only package is $39.99, is contract-based, and the Net speed is only 25 Mbps (I have 50 Mbps). Why are the phone and web packages different?

In an effort to deliver high quality programming and innovative services that best meet the needs of our customers, we regularly evaluate our offers to bring more choices to our customers.

Why is there no complete list of all available packages available on the website? Or is there one, and it’s not easy to find?

Our packages are designed to be straightforward. A call or visit to our website makes it easy to find a package that’s right for you.

Dwight Silverman | Techblogger, social media manager

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